Real Madrid have reportedly rejected a chance to sign Barcelona defender Ronald Araujo, who was offered to them by his representatives.
According to a surprising claim from Spanish publication Defensa Central, Barcelona centre-back Ronald Araujo was offered to arch-rivals Real Madrid by his agents ahead of the summer window. However, Los Blancos have turned down the opportunity to land the 22-year-old.
Araujo signed for Barcelona in the summer of 2018. After spending the first year with the club’s B team, the Uruguayan defender made his first-team debut in 2019 but had to wait till last season to become a regular member of the side. Since then, the defender has made massive strides, firmly establishing himself as one of the best defenders in La Liga currently.
A mainstay for Barcelona, Araujo has made 63 appearances so far, while he also has seven caps for the Uruguayan national team. However, the 22-year-old’s future at Camp Nou has been called into question due to his contract situation. His current deal with the Blaugrana stands to run out in eighteen months, meaning he will be entering the final year of his contract in the summer.
Barcelona are making attempts to extend his stay at the club, but it seems like Araujo’s agents might be looking for prospective suitors for the defender. If the aforementioned report is to be believed, the centre-back was offered to Barça’s bitter rivals Real Madrid, who are on the lookout for defensive reinforcements.
Real Madrid are keen on bolstering their ranks in the summer with at least one new centre-half. While Eder Militao and David Alaba have been impressive, Nacho Fernandez is not getting any younger, and Jesus Vallejo is out of favour under Carlo Ancelotti. The Merengues, thus, will need to add another quality defender to their roster.
And, it seems like Araujo’s representatives tried to offer the Barcelona defender to Los Blancos in a bit of a shock move. However, the report adds that Real Madrid quickly turned down the chance to sign the Uruguayan centre-half. Instead, the Spanish capital outfit are looking at other targets like Antonio Rudiger of Chelsea and Bayern Munich’s Niklas Sule, who will be available on free transfers.
As for Araujo, the Barcelona star is courting interest from several Premier League clubs like Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea. But the Blaugrana are desperate to tie him down with a new deal. So, it will be interesting to see what the future brings for the 22-year-old. However, a controversial transfer to Real Madrid seems off the table.
